Every year I look forward to DC Pride and the various covers celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. I was drawn to DC Pride variants before I even kept up with monthly and weekly comics—back in the day when I exclusively bought graphic novels at my local bookstore and read digital comics on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE. Seeing myself represented in the DC Universe was something that always meant a lot to me and is one of the many reasons I love DC so much. So, with Pride 2025 upon us, let’s take a look at some beautifully gay DC covers, shall we?
 

DC Pride 2025 #1 Main Cover by Kris Anka

A classic ensemble shot of iconic LGBTQIA+ DC characters with Green Lantern Alan Scott proudly taking center stage. Also featured in this cover are Green Lantern Jo Mullein, Harley Quinn, Midnighter, the Question, Blue Snowman and Bunker. The stark white background helps to focus your attention on these popular and lesser-known members of the DCU. While there isn’t LGBTQIA+ imagery in this cover, it’s still impactful to see queer characters standing tall and proud normalizing their existence.
 

DC Pride 2025 #1 Variant Cover by Julia Reck

This open order variant cover might be my favorite of the DC Pride 2025 covers. It reminds me a lot of Y2K tween magazines. We see Batwoman and the Question in a celebrity gossip section which references their complicated romantic relationship. Tim Drake has a dating “Do’s and Don’ts” feature, which is adorable. Xanthe Zhou, the non-binary hero of the limited series Spirit World, has a fashion segment—carabiner and all. (Carabiners are such a staple of a queer fashion.) Nubia is featured on the cover accompanied by a “Which Amazon Tribe Are You?” quiz and it appears Dr. Harleen Quinzel is offering her services as a therapist once again.

There’s a lot to take a look at here with so many different members of the LGBTQIA+ community represented on this cover. I love the attention to detail and the saturated colors that add to the early 2000s-style teen magazine layout. It's fun, and that’s equally as important in a Pride cover as being romantic or dramatic.
 

DC Pride 2025 #1 Variant Cover by Sozomaika

Speaking of romantic covers, we have this open order variant by stylish artist Sozomaika. Every year DC’s favorite WLW couple has a variant for the DC Pride anthology (last year’s was drawn by Babs Tarr). This year’s cover has a grungy feel to it with heavy emphasis on highlights and dark linework creating a lot of contrast. The fact that neither character is wearing their trademark costume, with Sozomaika instead dressing them in white, focuses your attention on their striking faces and their clasped hands, emphasizing the human side of this superhuman couple. This is a beautiful celebration of Harley and Ivy as a couple, locking hands and posing for the camera! Not too much to analyze here, but as one of the most famous LGBTQIA+ couples in the DCU, they absolutely deserve their spotlight!
 

DC Pride 2025 #1 Variant Cover by Jack Hughes

This incentive variant is a hauntingly beautiful cover that reminds me of a painting. Green Lantern Alan Scott is suspended in the air grasping his lantern with red lighting spilling out from it. He looks weightless and vulnerable. Behind him is Red Lantern Vladimir Sokov, his rival and ex-lover, shrouded in shadow, with illuminated eyes and pure red light coming from his ring. The dark shadows and muted colors create a somber and beautiful composition here. These two characters are positioned in such a haunting way that makes me even more interested in the Green Lantern story within.
 

Detective Comics #1098 Variant Cover by Stephen Byrne

While many people have taken on the mantle of Robin over the years, this Pride Month, it’s time to celebrate Tim Drake, who came out as bisexual in 2021’s Batman: Urban Legends #6. His love interest is Bernard Dowd, and back in 2022, Tim and Bernard got their own special titled DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1. I have always found Tim and Bernard’s Pride variants to be especially romantic, and this one’s no exception. The cover beautifully shows the boys dancing under the moonlight hundreds of feet in the air with doves flying by and Bernard dressed up to the nines. The dark colors and illuminating moon make this Stephen Byrne illustration feel utterly dreamy.
 

Harley Quinn #52 Variant Cover by Betsy Cola (Connecting Cover)

When thinking about Harley Quinn, you can’t forget her other half: Poison Ivy. As a healthy partnership, it’s a relationship stands in great contrast with her previous one with the Joker. Harley Quinn, who switches between the role of hero and villain, doesn’t mind robbing a bank with her girlfriend every once in a while. Nothing wrong with a girl having ambition. Here we see her leaving the scene of the crime with Ivy’s green vines behind her. A nice subtle detail is the rainbow in the sky connecting her cover to Poison Ivy’s. Interestingly, this isn’t the first Harley and Ivy connecting Pride cover. Last year’s was by Scott Forbes.
 

Poison Ivy #34 Variant Cover by Betsy Cola (Connecting Cover)

Poison Ivy, our favorite femme fatale eco-terrorist and one half of the most influential sapphic couple in DC Comics. Ivy’s connecting variant cover is incredibly romantic if you look at her body language and the story it’s telling. The way Ivy is looking at Harley with so much love and holding her reminds me of a dance—it’s as if Ivy is about to lead Harley in a romantic waltz. The bright colors and sharp lines really bring this piece together in such a beautiful way. Girlfriends who commit crimes together, stay together! (If you’d like to see these two covers connected, you can see Betsy Cola’s full illustration on her Instagram.)
 

Justice League Unlimited #8 Variant Cover by Hayden Sherman

This cover, by Absolute Wonder Woman artist Hayden Sherman, is a great representation of queer joy and community. Here we see Robin (Tim Drake), Dreamer (Nia Nal), Aquaman (Jackson Hyde), Superman (Jon Kent), Batwoman (Kate Kane), Bunker (Miguel Barragan) and Midnighter (alter ego unknown), all leaning in for a photobooth picture. I love seeing all these characters who may not often interact in the comics come together to, presumably, just hang out—so cute! You can see Dreamer in the background proudly displaying the transgender flag, which adds so much depth and color to the piece visually. It's just a nice slice-of-life moment that fills my heart with so much joy.
 

Wonder Woman #22 Variant Cover by Kevin Wada

Themyscira, home of Wonder Woman and the Amazons, is a safe haven filled to the brim with feminine energy—and of course in a society with no men, sapphic relationships are inevitable. Featured on this Kevin Wada cover are four Amazons unapologetically celebrating Pride with confetti and drinks. The sky, which appears to be a sunset, is actually the lesbian flag and is my favorite detail in this illustration. All of these women look incredibly beautiful, powerful and confident. It feels like a slice-of-life moment showing us how Pride is celebrated in Themyscira.
 

JSA #8 Variant Cover by Don Aguillo

This is a cinematic action shot featuring Obsidian (Todd Rice) and his father, the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott. This composition has deep rich colors with some brilliant highlights—truly everything about this cover feels epic. You can subtly see the Pride flag peeking through from the back, which adds layers to this illustration both visually and thematically. I like that this cover is a superhero action shot first, and a Pride cover second—it normalizes queer identities in the context of the DC Universe.
 

Superman #27 Variant Cover by Rachael Stott

It’s the Summer of Superman, so I thought we’d end with this vivid cover featuring Clark Kent and Lois Lane proudly celebrating with their son Jon Kent at a Pride event. I think this exemplifies what Superman and the Super-Fam stand for and that is acceptance and compassion. This isn’t the first time the Kents have celebrated Pride together, either! To see two parents unapologetically and consistently celebrate their bisexual son is a powerful and beautiful thing. Big Barda can also be seen celebrating Pride alongside the Kents and the people of Metropolis, which shows us that a superhero can show up for their people in ways that don’t involve their fists.
 

There's plenty to interpret with these Pride covers, and I’m sure everyone relates to them in different ways. From colorful pop art statements to sweetly romantic moments—there really is a lot to love. Look for them in comic shops all throughout June and definitely check out this week’s DC Pride 2025. This annual anthology celebrating DC’s LGBTQIA+ talent and characters has been going strong since 2021, and its stories are inspiring and oftentimes educational. It’s also a great way to discover new characters since you don’t need any prior DC knowledge to pick it up!
 

DC Pride 2025 #1 is available this week in print and on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and reviews comics every week on social media. Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.